billh

Wasn't that Dennis Howell who had cut the ribbons to re-open the restored Ashton, Peak Forest and possibly Caldon canals in 1974? Someone must have thought that he knew about water divining.

In those days , most of us canal enthusiasts got only 2 sometimes 3 weeks annual leave., the exceptions being teachers and lecturers who seemed to have more holidays than work time then. So the 1976 holiday was planned in the spring and was to take place,end of July, beginning of August and limited to 2weeks. The journey was Ashton Under Lyne, just east of Manchester to London and return. The boat was a wooden motor set up as a very basic camping style, quite common then amongst the still intact carrying fleets. The crew consisted of 11 adults and one child aged about 7. One person volunteered to do the catering for the whole trip and he organised to provide a box of food a day . We set off towards Marple, water level was well down and we could not get through the Astley Street bridge, badly stuck on the bottom. It was decided that we turn round and go via the Rochdale 9 but that was closed ,shortage of water. Long story short, we got through the Rochdale, by dint of some blagging/diplomacy of which I had no part. Leaving the Rochdale the trip went well, to keep to time we ran 18hour days, shifts at the tiller,starting 6AM and tying up about midnight. At various lock flights certain crew members would disappear "for a swift half". We couldn't stop for them and it was up to them to catch up , I recall at least one crew member was lost for about 24 hours, he caught up somewhere south of Brum. In general, water levels were ok till we got to the Knowle Hatton section of the GU it looked to be 2ft or more down and we crawled along what seemed to be a little channel down the middle, slow but steady progress, after that we did ok and arrived at Regents Canal dock, ship lock as it was then(very large). One crew member was stationed on the foredeck to handle the rope from the Lockmaster. Lock emptied, gates opened to reveal a distinctly choppy and wide River Thames, there were many craft around creating a lot of wash. we turned up river, with the tide and it was then we became aware that we were mingled with a Lightermans' race . The guy on the foredeck was stuck there getting wet from spray as the boat was rocking and rolling so unsafe to use the top plank.There were a number of Thames Lighters with no power and one steerer going with the tide and it was first through Tower Bridge was the winner. We arrived just as the winner passed under the bridge, I don't know if the crowds were cheering us or the lighterman . On past the Houses of Parliament, quite close, there were no restrictions then. Looking for the turn off for Brentford, thought we saw it so started to turn but it wasn't (Later , found it was Grosvenor Canal?) Eventually got towards the channel for Brentford, still being swept along by the tide, full power to just miss an island(?) and we arrived safely in Brentford dock. The return journey was pretty much uneventful except by the time we got to top of Marple there was only a tin of sardines and some bread left to feed the crew , as in 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Oddly enough the caterer/cook much later went on to be a Reverend! It was an epic trip and one which could not be done today in the timescales even if there were no water shortages. Most of the canals we used were still in reasonable nick from the commercial carrying days, locks worked properly and canal staff knew what they were about. I wouldn't attempt it now,I'm too old and a system in much decline. Restored canals like the Rochdale and HNC have come available since 1976, but now gradually fading away again to oblivion. Lack of water, lack of money, lack of know-how. We had our fun times.

Ah! Very local historical knowledge is much more reliable than my less than local memory. The foam transport was from Clarence Mill to Goyt Mill in Marple , both mills belonged to British Vita(Vitafoam?) in those days .

The lock cottage on Station Road was , in my memory , occupied by "Rocket Ronnie" , the lock keeper. Was he the R.W Woodward ? The nickname IIRC was a reference to him using a powerful motorbike to patrol up and down the lock flight.

I suggest that a split pin is not the best way of securing the nut. I have experienced the ends of the pin being broken off by constant battering by rubbish on the prop and the pin then falling out. Since then I have used a Stainless roll pin (sometimes called a spring pin), pressed into the castellations of the nut and ground off flush with the sides of the nut. , never a problem since but a bit more difficult to remove at prop servicing time.

A37 has been at Castlefield for many years. Perhaps of more concern is the boat near the viaduct in the second picture? It's the L & L short boat "Irwell" sat on the bottom despite having been re-floated more than once. I don't know if the engine is still in it , a 3(or was it 4?)cylinder RN . Happy memory of a camping boat holiday on Irwell in 1972- Leeds to Manchester at a time when she was sometimes still involved in commercial carrying. Sad to see now.

Never mind a 4LK, this is the ultimate Land Rover power unit: Frank Rothwell also owns Oldham Athletic F. C. and rowed the Atlantic solo at the age of 70+.

Was Uncle Irvine on that trip also? I think he would have been Deputy Head at that time. If appropriate, move to history and heritage😃

Rochdale Canal ,Grimshaw Lane, Chadderton. A modern hydraulic lift system. I can't remember what the old bridge was like, it's about 50 years since I crossed it. The modern system does not seem to be very reliable- fancy electrical control system and miles of hydraulic pipes and fittings ready to leak at a moments notice.

That strapping post at the lock looks suspiciously like a steam loco funnel , made of cast iron too. Some of these are still in place with a slight deviation from vertical to suit the application.

Yes. As far as I know, it is a purely decorative feature. Reference to C&RT archive shows the same on the original Joel of 1927. (broken up ,1948). I would say it was a product of the artist in residence blacksmith at the Gorton Canal Depot . If we look around the photo shown above, we can see other features of Joel which might be considered not traditional: The Kelvin engine's gearchange wheel tucked in to the left of the hatch , so your head wasn't damaged going into the very low cabin, necessary because of low bridges on the local canals. Who else was fitting a Kelvin in a NB in 1927 or 1948? The round top dollies possibly unique design. The bits of old tyre instead of dead cat rope fenders- in my experience the tyres were far more practical and long lasting than expensive hand made rope things The rudder blade did not extend behind the counter- there's a story! The original Joel's steerer , maybe in 1930's cilled the boat and did some serious damage and so it was rebuilt with the small blade and a solid post from skeg to counter as we can just see here. Trouble was, it was awful at going round bends( I remember it well) and that feature was dispensed with in the 1980s. A more conventional blade fitted and any handling difficulties are now completely down to operator error, not the boat.😀 The cabin side writing "British Waterways" in a straight line instead of a curved arch shape. I think the gang at Gorton Depot were somewhat renegade with their interpretation of the rules sent down from London by the new nationalised canal authority. These staff were all members of a RAILWAY union having , up to nationalisation been employed by the Great Central Railway and LNER from 1923 and there was still much interaction between the canal depot and the vast railway workshops across Cornwall Street right up to closure in 1962. Bits and pieces of locomotives and carriages got re-purposed into boats, including Joel. This practice persisted into more recent times with the fitted air horn recycled from a scrapped BR class EM1(later class76) electric loco. The picture was taken about 75 years ago near Lumb Lane Bridge, Audenshaw on the Ashton Canal, Joel was posed again in 2011 in exactly the same spot. The concrete drain pipes and shed in the background have been replaced by pleasant bungalows on Slate Lane. That's enough for now, wake up at the back there!